Barnstable falls short in finals

Friday

Mar 14, 2014 at 2:00 AM

Two more minutes; that’s all the Barnstable boys’ ice hockey team might have needed to complete a comeback in the MIAA Div. 1 South finals March 9. Unfortunately, time wasn’t on Barnstable’s side and after a hard-fought third period, the Red Raiders fell to Braintree 5-4.

Kathleen Szmit

Kathleen Szmit Photo STICKING WITH IT – Barnstable’s Donnie Brodd (21) stays focused on the puck during the MIAA Div. 1 South finals March 9 in Bourne. The Red Raiders staged an impressive comeback, but fell to Braintree 5-4, ending the 2013-2014 season as the Old Colony League Champs and the MIAA Div. 1 South runners-up. To purchase this photo, visit www.barnstablepatriot.com and click our SmugMug link.

Red Raiders give it their all in 5-4 tourney loss

Two more minutes; that’s all the Barnstable boys’ ice hockey team might have needed to complete a comeback in the MIAA Div. 1 South finals March 9. Unfortunately, time wasn’t on Barnstable’s side and after a hard-fought third period, the Red Raiders fell to Braintree 5-4.

Head coach Scott Nickerson, however, was proud. After all, this was the team that had come the farthest of any since the 1993-94 season. While Nickerson was disappointed for his players, he was proud of their efforts.

“The way we fought back in the end was an example of what we had all year,” Nickerson said. “It had the makings of one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen. That was the team we had. They never quit.”

As Nickerson noted, the No. 6 Red Raiders got off to a shaky start against the No. 1 Wamps, with Barnstable falling behind 3-0 in the opening frame.

Cody Pasic netted the first goal for the Red Raiders at 1:32 in the second period on a rebound slapped by Matt Lambert to narrow Braintree’s lead to 3-1. The undaunted Wamps then took a 4-1 edge into the game’s final period, but it was doubtful anyone saw what was coming next.

After the Wamps made it 5-1 just seconds into the third period, Barnstable roared to life. Ten seconds into a power play, Mike McDonough netted his first goal of the game to make it 5-2. The Raiders kept going.

Barnstable made it 5-3 on a Chris Fowler goal with just about three minutes left in game play, with Cam Curtin netting a fourth goal 43 seconds later making it a one-goal game.

With mere minutes remaining in the game, Barnstable pulled goalie Jake Kaczyinski in order to add an extra man up front, but Braintree goalie Nick Anson continued his own stellar game play, making key stops as the clock drained.

As the Wamps crashed into a pile near their goal, Red Raiders hung their heads in heartbreak. Nickerson sympathized but noted they have much to be proud of.

Nickerson noted that the roster included 14 first-time players, who, along with the team’s seasoned regulars, battled their way through a 15-6-3 season that included the Old Colony League Championship and the MIAA Div. 1 South runner up trophy.

“To get to the South Finals has just been a remarkable ending for us,” Nickerson said. “We would have loved to have gone on, but I thought earlier they were the better team. We just fought our way back and we almost made it, but it just wasn’t enough.”